Wireless networks continue to evolve as new communication technologies develop and standardize. A representative wireless network for a wireless network service provider can include support for one or more releases of wireless communication protocols specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) communication standards organizations. The 3GPP develops wireless communication standards that include releases for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced standards. The 3GPP2 develops wireless communication standards that include CDMA2000 1×RTT and 1×EV-DO standards. Each wireless communication standard includes operational parameters for wireless network equipment including mobile wireless devices. Some operational characteristics, such as network timing characteristics, can be expressed as a range of values or can be not specified in the wireless communication standard. A mobile wireless device operating in a wireless network can be not informed of specific values for network timing characteristics for the radio sector of the wireless network in which the mobile wireless device is operating. Representative network timing characteristics can include a number of inactivity timeout values that can cause a connection between the wireless network and the mobile wireless device to be released or can transition the mobile wireless device between operating states. In order to optimize operating performance, the mobile wireless device can prefer to transition between different operating states and to establish, maintain and release connections under its own control rather than according to timing determined by the wireless network, at least where the wireless communication standard allows such flexibility. Power consumption by the mobile wireless device can depend on the operating state in which the mobile wireless device operates. By controlling the operating state, the mobile wireless device can conserve power when limited amounts or no data is available for transmission. In addition, a user's experience in using the mobile wireless device can be affected by responsiveness to user input, and “always on” connections can provide quicker immediate feedback than when connections need be established. Maintaining a connection during brief periods of data inactivity can ensure rapid response when data transmission resumes. Each radio sector (also referred to as a cell) of a wireless network to which a mobile wireless device can be associated or connected can use different values for network timing characteristics. As the actual values can be unknown a priori to the mobile wireless device, there exists a need to measure network timing characteristics and to use the measured characteristics to optimize performance of the mobile wireless device.